Kayak
is a Dutch band that was formed in the early 70’s. The band was active from
1973 up to 1982, during which, they released 8 studio albums. In 1999,
the band was re-formed and they are active since then. Almost a month ago, they released their new studio album named as Seventeen; which, as you can understand, indicates that it is the band’s seventeenth studio album. Personally speaking, if I had to choose between their 2 periods, I would choose the 2nd one, because their music has improved a lot during the last 17 years.
In 2014, they released the Rock opera ‘Cleopatra - the Crown of Isis’, that was a really great album! If I remember well, I added ‘Cleopatra’ in my Top-10 album list of 2014. Because I was very pleased with that album, when I learned about the band’s new release, I knew that I had to add it to my collection!
Seventeen is the band’s first studio album in
their new company Inside Out; I don’t know if that had any impact on their
music or not, but for me, Seventeen is one of their best works ever! From the
ones I heard at least. (I have 7 albums by Kayak in my collection).
In Seventeen, the band seems to be in great
form, balance and inspiration, which is proven by the quality of the songs. Speaking
about the band, I think that I should mention the participation of Andy Latimer
of Camel as special guest, which is something important in my opinion.
The album includes 12 songs and has a total
running time of almost an hour. The 2 long
- over 10 minutes – songs that are included here can be characterized
as the album’s highlights. But if you ask me, the whole album is a highlight by
itself. I have it for almost 2 weeks now and I keep listening to it on and on.
It is a wondeful piece of work, and with every new listen I discover
something more in it.
This
is one of these albums that you listen from the beginning ‘till the end,
without feeling the need to press ‘skip’. Every song has something to offer to
the listener, from the simplest 3:00
minute long one, up to the far more complicated ‘epics’.
But have in mind that, the album's general style can be characterised as Prog with Pop influences. Maybe the Hard-core Prog fans will not appreciate it that much. There are many short songs included here, soft and mellow, in the style of Supertramp let's say.
Seventeen is available in digital, CD and vinyl version, so it is easy to pick the one that might interest you. Personally, I would recommend the vinyl one, assuming that you have the equipment to play it of course. There are also a few special colored vinyl editions available. (Have in mind that the vinyl edition is also including the CD version).
I am not going to mention the songs one by
one; there is no need to do so. If you want my opinion, give this album a couple
of listens, and decide by yourselves. For me, it is an excellent
and very enjoyable album, and I’m perfectly happy with it! Although it is still very early, I'm pretty sure that, at the end of the year, it is going to be included in my annual top-10 album list for 2018.
Album's highlights: Somebody, La Peregrina, Falling, Walk Through Fire, Ripples on the Water, All that I Want, Love Sail Away, Cracks.
For
all those reasons, I will rate it with 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgAWrbXgeUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw1VMReLXDQ
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